PinkPanther

Hi all, I need to make my localhost IP something other than the usual 127.0.0.1 I have already edited the hosts file, and yes, I have double-checked that it was not accidentally saved with a .txt extension or any other extension. However, when I ping localhost, I still get the 127.0.0.1 IP, even after I reboot. Is there something I am missing here? Thanks

Thanks for the replies. What I was trying to do is to get my machine to accept localhost as the IP of the computer on my lan that has ISS installed, for web development. Some add-ons for Visual Studio.Net fail to install because they check localhost and require ISS installed, but I use a remote computer as a server, which Visual Studio itself allows. oh well Thanks again for the informaiton

thank you so much!

Hello all, I normally use the built-in method in Windows XP Pro to burn my CDs. You put in a blank CD, an Explorer window pops open, you drag your files to it, and burn. Normally, this goes without any trouble. Today, I had a CD fail to burn for the first time, and now, everytime I out in a blank CD, I get a message claiming that I have files waiting to be burned (the old ones that had failed.) When I try to delete the "temp" files, I get a message that another application is using them. I have tried all the obvious stuff, rebooting, killing every single process and application running on my system, and still, the system thinks something is using these temp files. I can still burn CDs using Nero or Easy CD Creator (I have both on my system), but I can no longer burn CDs using my old method of dragging files in Explorer, because those old temp files are still being treated as something that needs to be burned, and they always fail now. Any ideas? I don't know where Windows physically puts these temp files, I have looked and run searches and no luck so far. Thanks for any help

I tried the suggestion here, but alas, no luck. When I returned the drive to be recordable again and rebooted, the first thing that happened was the little popup that said I had files waiting to be burned. And again, trying to delete them claims they are in use by another application

Hi thanks for the reply. In my original post, I mention that error reporting is already turned off. I have done so both in the system/advanced tab and in the services. But still, whenever Outlook crashes, the error reporting persists. I am indeed using Windows XP, sorry for not mentioning that in my original post. My guess is that there is one other spot exists for error reporting specific to Office applications, maybe, or for some reason, some other things is happening which is preventing my system from accepting the turning off of error reporting

Hello all, I am using the latest version of Winroute, and have been experiencing some serious blue screen crashes on WinXP, which I find really unusual. I have not been documenting the crashes yet, but if any of you need details, I will start doing so. The crashes are the type that says something about an "invalid call" and windows proceeds to do a memory dump and then it reboots. The are happening on average about twice per day. I'm hoping some of you are familiar with WinRoute and know about this issue; their website is not of much use. Thanks

Hello all, I am at a loss finding the setting that will force my WinXP Pro machine to automatically log onto my account at Boot up. I am the only account on the machine, and every time I restart, Windows stops at the logon screen asking for my user name and password (this account has no password). So all I have to do is click on the OK button, and I log in, but I would like to skip this silly screen and the OK button. Is there anyway to have it start with a default account already logged in? Thanks

Thank you!

Hello all, Is there some way to completely lock file associations in XP Pro? I would like to set the associations to my liking and then, hopefully, do something to the registry so that even if the world ends nothing can alter those associations again. Is that possible? Thanks

In need of help …. How do professionals create truly universal PDF templates for printing? For example, PDF templates that one would use to print out Avery labels and such. My problem is as follows: I can create a template to the correct specifications in Adobe Illustrator, and from within Illustrator it prints perfectly. However, when the PDF file is created, the margins are no longer accurate (the document is slightly moved to left, sometimes to the top as well.) It does not matter how I create the file, meaning I have the same problem whether I use distiller or simply save as PDF from within Illustrator. I have noticed the loss of precise margins on ALL PDF documents I create, from MS Word to Adobe InDesign, they are all slightly moved to left. This, of course, makes no sense, since somewhere out there people have figured out a way to make PDF files have the precise margins needed for any given situation; I have downloaded perfectly working label templates in PDF that print exactly as they should; I just have no idea how this precisions is achieved in PDF making, and the help system provided no solution to the problem. I hope someone here can either supply me with an answer or direct to a place where I can do some more research. I have read a few things on Adobe that seem to indicate that these problems only occurr in Windows NT systems, which is why I decided to post here Many thanks, Relevant Specs: Windows XP Illustrator 10 Acrobat 5 (latest patch applied)

Thanks, shihonage I was hoping for an all-in-one application, like Trilian. Unfortunately, it is beginning to look like there is no program that allows for a no-skins option. I found two others, like Trillian, that allow connections to the main 4 IM services, but they all use skins without the option of turning them off I hope more developers start incorporating the no-skins option into their programs. There are several applications out there that use skins but that also allow for the skinning to be turned off - I think those are great, since they appeal to both the skins fan and those of us who don't like using skins. Sadly, the IM area is lacking such an application Anyway, thanks for the reply

Hello all, Don't knw if this exists, but this is what I am looking for ... I have a 9 michine network at home; some of the machines are Linux boxes, but they can all boot into one flavor of NT or another. I would like a utility that can tell me the hardware specs on each machine, like how many PCI slots it has, and if it has any open slots. The same for RAM slots, and what type they are. Basically, I am trying to avoind having to open each and every case to get this information (lazy of me, I know, it's just that some of the machines are a pain to get to in terms of the case and the wires). Anyway, hopefully, this is something that some utility out there can do. Thanks in advance

Thanks for the replies!

thanks for the reply - I'm posting this update in case anyone is interested ... After much research: there is no way to control margins in a PDF document; this is just an inherent limitation of Acrobat. To make something like templates, the best thing to do is create the document (in whatever software is best for the project) and then use distiller to create the Acrobat file. Then, in Acrobat, use the Object selection tool to select the entire page and try to center it as much as possible. After extensive testing, this procedure makes templates print correctly on many printers with about 85% to 90% success rate. On some printers, mainly HP ones, the variation is pretty big, sometimes it works sometimes it doesn't On other brands of printers, it is pretty consistent. Anyway, in case someone was curious, I hope this information helps ...

hello all, I have disbaled error reporting in the "My System" properties and I have also disabled the error reporting service from loading up at all. However, whenever Outlook XP crashes, I STILL get the error reporting pop-up (the one with debug, send , and don't send options) - does anyone know what setting I am missing in turning off so that my system will actually stop asking me anything about error reporting? thanks OS: Win XP Pro

Hi everyone, Does anyone know why it takes so long for XP to log users in and out? My machines boot up very fast (all of my NICS have static IP addresses), so they get to the "welcome" screen very quickly. However, when I pick a user and log in, the "loading settings" screen stays there for a much longer period than it took the machine to boot up in the first place, and then even after the desktop appears, it is still a little while before the machine is actually usable. Any ideas on how to speed up this process? Thanks

Hello, While attempting to install a DSL Modem, the installation failed, the machine rebooted, and the device started showing up in the Device Manager as "Unsopported Device". I need to know how to fully reset Windows XP Pro for this device, because no matter what I try now, it keeps using the failed portion of the install. Here are the details of things I have tried: 1. The driver software does not show up in add-remove, so I can not uninstall it there. 2. If I try to Update The Driver, it claims software is already installed and refuses to do anything else. This includes the automatic driver lookup AND the manual lookup, where the user can point to the path containing the driver. 3. Rescanning for hardware changes after unplugging the device and then again after re-pluging the device simply returns the "Unsopported Device" option. 4. Unistalling the device using Device Manager just removes it from the list, it does nothing for the drivers themselves. Now, for some obvious questions: yes, the device is XP comtatible; I installed it on a different machine without problems; the problem with the first one is that power was lost right before the install finished, and now I can not reset the system. Any ideas or suggestions? Thanks

Hello all, Unfortunately, I have no idea what changed in my system, but suddenly today, IE6 stopped allowing me to drag links directly into the address bar. I almost always drag links from pages into the address bar, because it is an easy way of preventing pages from opening links in new windows, but now, when I drag the link, I get the "Unavailable" cursor (in my case, that's a circle with line through it). Any ideas what could have caused this or how to fic it? Thanks

This problem affects a total of 5 computers. One machine is running Windows 2k Server; the other 4 are all running Windows XP Professional. The Win2k machine is a storage machine - it's harddrives are shared so the other 4 machines can store data in it. Obviously, the other 4 machines have the Win2k computer mapped for easier access. All the Windows Xp machines have "Simple File Sharing" enabled. Here is the problem: When the WinXP machines boot up, a tooltip window appears in the Tray annoucing that the network drives failed to reconnect. Opening "My Computer" or Windows Explorer shows these drives with the famous "RED X" indicating they are not connected, but when I click on one of the supposedly disconnected drives, I can access it without any trouble at all. The drives are always availbale to all 4 WinXP machines - I can read and write to them without a single error. So, why is WinXP under the inpression that these drives failed to connect when they obviously did not? Any ideas? Thanks

Hello all, I have 2 questions: 1. Can someone explain to me why it is that CRT monitors can not seem to keep their "sizing" settings after they have been off for a while? I go through a lot of tedium to try and make my screen be as edge-to-edge as possible and as squared as possible, but then if the monitor gets turned off, either by me or by the power saving settings, when I turn it back on, the size is alighty altered. The screen has either become slightly smaller or bigger or it has simply moved in one of the 4 directions - forcing me to once again go through the process of making edge-to-edge. Anyway, I am just curious as to why this is, since it happens with all of the CRT monitors I have or have had, different sizes and brands. 2. Is there some way to prevent this? Or at least some way to truly save my settings so they can be restored in a very small amount of clicks instead of having to tediously go through the whole process from scratch? Thanks for any information

Hello Everyone, Here is my situation – I hope some networking guru out there can find a solution. I have a 5 Computer network; all machines are running Windows XP Professional, all use static IP addresses. I use the Internet Connection Sharing that is built-into Windows XP. I really, really like this method of ICS, because the speed at which the other machines access the Internet is amazing. I have already tried Wingate (version 4.52) and uninstalled it after about 6 hours of poor performance. The problem with Windows XP is that only one machine on the network can play Asheron’s Call reliably. The minute that a second (let alone a third) machine runs Asheron’s Call, all sorts of issues begin; the most common is that one or all the machines will get instantaneously booted from the game. Please note that if only one machine is playing Asheron’s Call, there are NO problems at all. According to Microsoft, there are 3 “solutions” …. 1. Set the game to derive the port from the IP address; I honestly don’t know why this is listed as a solution, considering this is the default setting in the game – thus, this solution really says, “change nothing” which is rather illogical considering there is a problem to begin with. 2. Set each computer to use a specific port. This solution has the disclaimer that this setting often fails to take under Windows 2000 and XP. I have tried this setting, and the problems persist. Sometimes we can play the game for a while without trouble, but certain actions almost always will lead to one or more machines being booted from the game. Such actions include entering a housing settlement where another player from my network already awaits. 3. Play on different worlds. Well, if you are an Asheron’s Call player, then you can probably see why this is not a viable solution for a family trying to play a game together. The whole point is for us to share the same world. All 3 of these “solutions” have failed, although solution number 2 allows us to play the game with about 60-70% stability, meaning we stay connected. Now, what I am hoping (and I know this is probably just wishful thinking) is that someone out there has found a fourth solution, one that actually works. As I mentioned, WinGate is simply not an option for me. I have used it before and I gave the latest version a try, and although it does solve my Asheron’s Call problem, it reduces the performance of the network too much, and we do use the network for business as well, so this is not an acceptable trade off. I also really dislike Wingate for other reason - their solutions to problems are always things that need to be repeated on a regular basis, which I think is ridiculous. I would be more than willing to give another product a try; my main concern is that it needs to be ULTRA fast at routing the other machines, much like XP does now. Well, that is all I can think of writing to provide as much useful information as possible. I will try to answer any questions in a prompt manner. Thanks for taking the time to read this rather long post …..

Just following up for anyone who may benefti from the information. I did look into a hardware solution, as suggested here, and after speaking with my ISP, we discovered that eventhough this would indeed solve my problem, it would be rather costly, since I would also need to purchase a bridge to take the place of the PCI card that currently connects to my ISP. So, a friend at my ISP recommended that I try WinRoute - I downloaded the trial version, and after configuring the port-mapping I am happy to announce that our Asheron's Call problems are gone Winroute costs 150 for a 5 user license, and the trial is fully functional for 30 days.

Thanks for the reply, Adam. I had not considered a hardware router, mostly because I know so little about them, I don’t know if they will work with my setup to my ISP. I am on a wireless connection to my ISP, using a Cisco antenna on the roof of the house which is then connected to one of the computers on my network. That computer has 2 NICs, one is a standard 3com Ethernet card and the other is the Cisco wireless card. Would a hardware router be able to take over the job of connecting to my ISP wirelessly? Or am I just totally confused as to how that would work? Thanks again

I have used all the known ways of telling windows to associate file types with specific applications, but no matter what I try, BMP files revert to opening with Windows Picture & Fax Viewer everytime I reboot. Does anyone know of a way to permanently KILL Windows Picture & Fax Viewer so it will simply not exist on my system? Thanks